Barber&#39;s marginal trimming device



July 24, 1956 K.- a. JOHNSON 2,755,551

BARBER'S MARGINAL TRIMMING DEVICE Filed May 25, 1953 Z ShOGtS-Shfii ,1

KEITH 6. JOHNSON INVENTOR.

July 24, 1956 K. e. JOHNSON- BARBER"S MARGINAL TRIMMING DEVICE 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25. 1953 KEITH G. JOHNSON INVENTOR.

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Claims.

My present invention relates to the general plan of hair clippers andmore particularly to an electric razor in which the cutting blades arecurved so that when the cutting balde is held at right angles to thescalp the hair around the ear will be trimmed to a desired form givingthe usual clearance around the car. This invention may more properly beconsidered as an outlining arrangement and it is intended that it merelycut the ends of the hair so as to produce the desired clearance aroundthe ear. To function for this purpose, it is necessary that the blade becurved and be double-edged so that the cutting can be done on either theright or left side of the head.

In many fields it is necessary for barbers to serve a large clienteleand to be able to cut the hair of customers with a minimum of time beingexpended. Then, too, in so many instances, this type of barbering oftenis done by persons of somewhat limited training and experience, andthese people need every possible aid in order that they achieve a trulypresentable finished piece of Work.

in the cutting of hair, the one point that goes a long way indetermining the appearance of the haircut is how the hair is cut awayfrom the ears. Barbers long skilled and who take sufficient time can dothis trimming by eye and do it very accurately because of longexperience. My present device however is intended to provide amechanical means that will be electrically operated and which in onesetting will accurately trim the hair to a very definite line. Thistrimming will be the final line and will be precise and accurate, withboth sides of the head being just the same. When the exact contour ofthe clearance line around the ears is thus established, it then is arelatively simple matter to cut all the hair below this marginal line.

The principal object of this present invention therefore is to providean electric razor or clipper having a curved blade adapted to be usedwith the transverse axis of the blade at right angles to the scalp andto have the blade curved so as to complete in a single setting themarginal clearance line around a customers car.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electric razor typeof clipping action wherein the blades are formed in a curve and meansprovided so that one of the blades can reciprocate in the cuttingaction.

A further object of this invention is to have a curved cutting head foran electric razor in which a movable blade is sufiici'ently flexible sothat it may change its curvature slightly as it performs the cuttingoperation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a handle portion forthe razor which will house the driving motor and which will be hingedlyjoined to the cutter head so that it may be swung out of 'a positionnormal to the razor and thus provide adequate clearance when used oneither side of a customers head.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from thedescription and disclosure in the drawings, or may be comprehended orare inherent in the device.

atent 2,755,551 Patented July 24, 1956 In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating this present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the cutting bars and the supportingmechanism, certain parts being broken away to better illustrate thestructure;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken along the line 3-3of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view through the driving motor and itsenclosing handle and showing parts of the cutting bar supporting anddriving mechanism;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the powerdelivery end of the motor housing handle; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the position assumed by my inventionwhen in use.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings, thenumeral 10 designates the main supporting or base member of my cutterhead. This unit is curved after the showing of Figure 1 and is providedwith outstanding lugs as 12 and 14. Within lugs 12 and 14, asillustrated in Figure 5, are formed the conical recesses 16 adapted toreceive similarly coned male detents 18. This arrangement provides apivot so that the motor housing and handle 20 may swing on these pivotsafter the showing of Figure 4. It has been found that the maximum swingrequired does not exceed 45 degrees from each side of normal. Aspring-loaded ball or detent 22 is secured within lug 14 and is adaptedto seat within any one of a plurality of depressions within housing 20so that the handle can be angularly adjusted with respect to the cutterhead and held in that position.

Secured to base member 10 is the stationary cutter bar 24 which issecured to the same by a plurality of machine screws indicated at 23.These screws secure the bowed guard member 32 in resilient engagementwith the movable cutter bar 26 and in fixed engagement with thebushing-like abutment 25, through which screws 23 pass. Disposed incontact with cutter bar 24 is the movable cutter bar 26. A study ofFigures 3 and 4 will indicate that contact is made between the cutterbars only near the toothed portions. The teeth as illustrated aresomewhat exaggerated in size but they should approach rather closely thetooth size of the standard electric razor as distinct from a hairclipper. Bar 24 is provided with teeth as 28 and cutter bar 26 isprovided with teeth at 30. Normally it is desirable that teeth 30 do notextend entirely out to the end of teeth 28. This distance should only bea few thousandths of an inch as the intent is to have the weight of thecutter head rest against the skin on teeth 28 so that the movement ofthe teeth 30 in their position, at right angles substantially to theskin, Will not touch the skin or cause abrasion. Outside of cutter bar30 is the outer bowed guard member 32. This guard as will be noted inFigures 3 and 4 has frictional support against the movable cutter bar 26at the center and on a line of contact near'the roots of the teeth.

As the cutter ear 26 must move with respect to cutter bar 24 in anamount equal to at least one full tooth, it is necessary that elongatedopenings as 34 be provided so that cutter bar 26 may encircle thevarious rivets or machine screws 23. The movable cutter bar 26 isprovided preferably near its midpoint with the "transverse power strut36 and in this case the fixed cutter 24 and the base plate 10 must alsobe relieved as by opening tion of this trimming device. Motors howeverfor electric clippers and electric razors have been highly developed andmany different mechanisms are available for powering my trimmer.Therefore, the motor shown in Figure 5 is merely for illustrativepurposes. In the showing, the vibrator member is provided with amagnetic armature 5d, a coupling member 52 and a flexible hinge member54, which is norm-ally a piece of metal capable of high frequencyvibration. Vibrator drive arm 46 is secured to the magnetic armature 50and moves with it giving an exaggerated movement due to the leverageproportions. Following the usual arrangement the spring pressure ofmember 54 normally urges the armature 50 away from the electro-magnetcoil 56 and to complete the contact between contact members 58 and 60.When contact is made at 62 a flow of current is induced through coil 56and the armature is attracted to the pole piece 64. In so doing thecontact is broken at 62 and the cycle is repeated. A start and stopswitch is provided at 64 and an electric conductor housing is providedat 66 for the electric conductors 6S and 69. Following the presentshowing, spacer member 70 should be of non-conductive material.

Method of operation This trimming device is used after the showing ofFigure 7 in which the cutter head is fitted to the pa'trons head so thatthe proper spacing of the hair line from the ear is obtained. In thisconnection it has been found that the curve as shown in Figure 1 shouldbe formed to the proportions wherein the distance from the lower tip 72to the high point of the sharp curve at 74 should be approximately 3 /2inches. Curves of this proportion will be found satisfactory for theaverage adult. It is of course conceivable that if exact fittings ofvarious sized persons are desired, the devices could be made indifierent sizes especially when marginal cuts are to be made inconnection with certain *bob" haircuts on women. The term male hair linecuts applies to both men and women. This has not been proved necessary,however, in that with a curve of this order the barber can, by properswinging of the device, and possibly taking one or two extra cuts, makea wide variety of curves on the hair line with a single cutter head. Theangle between the plane of the cutter head as shown in Figure 1 and theaxis of housing 20 of the motor unit should then be adjusted to a pointof greatest convenience so that the housing will stand well away fromthe scalp and at a convenient angle to use. Power is then appliedthrough switch 64 to the motor through arm 46, or possibly otherarrangements with different styles of driving motors may be used, tocause a rapid reciprocation of cutter bar 26. Now normally the cutterhead is not moved to make the trim cut. Consequently the cutter bar 26only has to be energized for a moment and the trim is completed.

The barber then applies the reverse side of the cutter head to theopposite side of the customers head. He then adjusts the motor housing20 in the opposite sense to this previous cut, and in the same mannerthe trim is made. Both of these cuts can be made very quickly and theywill be very similar on both sides of the head. This is very desirablewhen there is a question of skill on the part of the barber and is agreat time saver to him.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the abovedescription and the disclosure in the drawings that the inventioncomprehends a novel construction of a barbers marginal trimming device.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. A barbers clipper for defining a conventional male hair line above,in front of and behind an ear in a single orientation, comprising: ahandle having electric power means, a rigid, elongated base membersecured to an end of said handle intermediate the end portions of saidbase member by hinge means permitting pivoting of said handle laterallyof said base member and spring-pressed detent means between said handleand said base member 1 and means connecting said cutter bar to saidpower means to oscillate in movement longitudinally of said base memberupon energizing of said power means, said cutter bar having cuttingteeth on both side edges and said base member having means oncorresponding side edges forming stationary, supporting teeth extendingoutward slightly beyond said cutting teeth forming a rest so that saidcutting teeth will not cut the skin of the customer, said base memberbeing curved in a manner so as to approximate the conventional newly-cuthair line above, in front of and behind an ear with the teeth on oneside being capable of application to the hair around one ear and theteeth on the other side to the hair around the other ear, said cutterbar being flexible so as to bend as it moves on said base member tofollow the curve of said base member.

2. A barbers clipper for defining a conventional male hair line aroundan ear in a single orientation, comprising: a handle having electricpower means, a rigid, elongated base member secured to an end of saidhandle in a manner so as to be normally stationary in respect to saidhandle and extending laterally thereof, an elongated cutter barpositioned on and secured to said base member in axial alignment andmeans connecting said cutter bar to said power means to oscillate inmovement longitudinally of said base member upon energizing of saidpower means, said cutter bar having cutting teeth on both side edges andsaid base member having means on corresponding side edges formingstationary, supporting teeth, said base member having a shapeapproximating the conventional newly-cut hair trim line on the side ofthe head including an upper sharply-curved portion adapted to cut thetrim line in front of, above and behind the upper portion of the ear andincluding a depending relatively straight portion adapted to cut thetrim line substantially to the base of the trim line at the neck withthe teeth on one side being capable of application to the hair aroundone ear and the teeth on the other side to the hair around the otherear, said cutter bar being flexible so as to bend as it moves on saidbase member to follow the curve of said base member.

3. A barbers clipper for defining a conventional male hair line aroundan ear in a single orientation, comprising: a handle having power means,an elongated base member secured to an end of said handle in a manner soas to be normally stationary in respect to said handle, an elongatedcutter bar positioned on and secured to said base in axial alignment andmeans connecting said cutter bar to said power means to oscillate inmovement longitudinally of said base member upon energizing of saidpower means, said cutter bar having cutting teeth on at least one sideedge and said base member having means on a corresponding aligned sideedge forming stationary, supporting teeth extending outward slightlybeyond said cutting teeth forming a rest so that said cutting teeth Willnot cut the skin of the customer, said base member having a shapeapproximating the conventional newly-cut hair trim line on the side ofthe head including an upper sharply-curved portion adapted to cut thetrim line in front of, above and behind the upper portion of the ear andincluding a depending relatively straight portion adapted to cut thetrim line substantially to the base of the trim line at the neck, saidcutter bar being flexible so as to bend as it moves on said base memberto follow the curve of said base member.

4. A barbers clipper for defining a conventional male hair line above,in front of and behind an ear in a single orientation, comprising: ahandle having electric power means, a rigid, elongated base secured toan end of said handle and extending laterally thereof, an elongatedcutter bar positioned on one face of said base member and meansconnecting said cutter bar to said power means to oscillate in movementlongitudinally of said base mem ber upon energizing of said power means,said cutter bar having cutting teeth on both side edges, a stationarybar positioned between said base member and said cutter bar having teethon its side edges extending outwardly slightly beyond said cutting teethforming a rest so that said cutting teeth will not cut the skin of thecustomer, a guard member positioned on the side of said cutter baropposite said stationary bar, there being securing means securing saidguard member, stationary bar and base member together and said cutterbar having slots through which said securing means extend, said slotsbeing longitudinally elongated to permit the oscillation of said cutterbar, said guard member being bowed so as to contact said cutter bar onlyat the middle and side edges of said guard member to minimize frictiontherebetween, said base member, stationary bar and guard member beingcurved in a manner so as to approximate the conventional newly-cut hairline above, in front of and behind an ear with the teeth on one sidebeing capable of application to the hair around one ear and the teeth onthe other side to the hair around the other ear, said cutter bar beingflexible so as to bend as it moves to follow the curvature of the othermembers.

5. A barbers clipper for defining a conventional male hair line above,in front of and behind an ear, comprising: an elongated base memberhaving a shape approximating the conventional newly-cut hair trim lineon the side of the head including an upper sharply-curved portionadapted to cut the trim line in front of, above and behind the upperportion of the ear and including a depending relatively straight portionadapted to cut the trim line substantially to the base of the trim lineat the neck, an elongated cutter bar positioned on and secured to saidbase member in axial alignment in a manner permitting longitudinalmovement of said cutter bar with respect to said base member whilefollowing the curve of said base member, said cutter bar having cuttingteeth on at least one side edge and said base member having meansforming aligned, cooperating teeth, and power means connected to thecutter bar operable to oscillate said cutter bar longitudinally withrespect to said base member when energized.

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